More detailed B7 sway bar thread

[klem74]

I'm considering upgrading the sway bar on my 2005.5 A4. I have read multiple threads but none of them really addressed various bar thicknesses and everyone seems to be locked on the RS4 sway bar. I used to have B6 S4 and the stock handling was OK for my purposes. I do not really want to go overboard with the RS4 bar and also I heard that it might be dangerous(handling issues) to install a rear sway bar that is too thick.

Here are the questions:

1. For 100% of street use, work commute and several 200+ miles trips a year with the wife in the passenger seat do you still recommend RS4 (22mm) sway bar vs the S4 (20mm) one?
2. My car came with a non-sport suspension. Are front sway bars on non-sport suspension vehicles the same as on the sport suspension ones?
3. if the swaybars are different then would the 22mm sway bar cause handling issues on a non-sport suspension vehicle?
4. Does anyone have the front and rear sway bar thickness numbers on A4/S4/RS4?
5. Lastly, any other sway bar suggestions beside the OEM S4/RS4 that do not compromise the ride quality too much?
   

[JGreen76]

I am 31(not a kid....I feel), and my girlfriend can handle the ride quality of my B7 on stasis CO'c w/ H-sport sways f/r.... That is the direction I wold guide you as well.

[Bllzll]

yeah i would like to know more info about the sways also..

i have non-sline.. if i replaced the rear sway to RS4 (22mm) would it be necessary to replace the front also?? or would i be ok with just the upgraded rear

[3.2some]

I'm a non quattro and I have Koni co's and the rear RS4 sway and it made a huge difference handling wise. Adding the front sway imo would really be overkill if you're not tracking your car.I suggest going with the RS4 sway bar as it is cheaper then the H-sport ones and proven within the audi community.

And you would be ok with just the rear.

[toothysaw2]

seems most people do rear only to correct oversteer. not really an issue for your daily driving.

i believe stock sway sizes are:
16 mm - non sline
18 mm - sline
20 mm- s4
22 mm - rs4

i am getting rs4 put on friday. i'll let you know how it goes!

[DCR]

Seems to me you do not need to even upgrade your sway bars considering your usage.

[INTEGRATION]

OEM RS4 dangerous? The people telling you that are either very uninformed or just poor drivers (and perhaps maybe both). I'm using Hotchkis 35mm/29mm and that is still very safe if you're anything good at knowing the behavior of your car. But if you want to argue the other point- it's only dangerous when beginners are pushing their car past their own driving abilities and not being able to properly predict how the car would behave with their ability to input (instruct) the car on how to behave itself.

But as mentioned before in other stabilizer-related threads that I have posted...I'll go into an even shorter Spark Notes mode (if you want all the details look up my older posts):
1, Stabilizers (the proper term for "anti-sway" bars) are meant to augment your springrate/shock-valving setup, NOT to replace it
2, The OEM B7 front stabilizer is massive, 32mm- with a 22mm rear (RS4) the front to rear ratio is not enough to force a large amount of rotation (but this depends on the drivetrain too: FF vs. AWD)
3, OEM RS4 rear stabilizer combined with the OEM front stabilizer is enough to augment most suspension setups and coilover applications in non-RS4 B7s.

[GottaAudi2]

I put the R24 rear 22mm sway on my 2005.5 sport suspension B7 today. Took me one hour using 3/4" drive rachets with 13mm and 16mm sockets. Don't pay someone to do this. It is easy - took the car out shortly afterward, the difference is subtle, but definitely noticeable. Understeer is reduced a lot. There are some threads that describe how to do this install like http://www.a4mods.com/index.php?page...s/swaybar.html.

I will add that a great way to get the bottom bolt started is to use a vise-grip to pull the bottom of the sway bracket inward against the mounting plate, let it sit for about a minute, release the vise-grip, and hand tighten the bottom bolt. I did use ramps as suggested and it went on quickly.

[INTEGRATION]

^ oh, one more thing that may not have been mentioned. Make sure you install your stabilizer AT ITS CURRENT RIDE HEIGHT. DO NOT FOR ANY REASON RAISE THE CAR ON JACKS TO INSTALL STABILIZERS...as this throws off the suspension geometry!

[redfred]

I've got a non-sport FWD MT6 A4 and added a 20 mm adjustable H&R rear swaybar from AWE Tuning. Easy to do.

Mine is adjusted to the stiffer setting (of 2), and this mod was noticable in that the front doesn't seam to be doing all the work now. It's definately safe, somewhat more responsive and very comfortable.

I agree that the front bar is massive, I was surprised when I took a look at the car.

All in all, this is $200 bucks very well spent.

HTH, Kevin

[DownUnderSLine]

I'm considering upgrading the sway bar on my 2005.5 A4. I have read multiple threads but none of them really addressed various bar thicknesses and everyone seems to be locked on the RS4 sway bar. I used to have B6 S4 and the stock handling was OK for my purposes. I do not really want to go overboard with the RS4 bar and also I heard that it might be dangerous(handling issues) to install a rear sway bar that is too thick.

Here are the questions:

1. For 100% of street use, work commute and several 200+ miles trips a year with the wife in the passenger seat do you still recommend RS4 (22mm) sway bar vs the S4 (20mm) one?
2. My car came with a non-sport suspension. Are front sway bars on non-sport suspension vehicles the same as on the sport suspension ones?
3. if the swaybars are different then would the 22mm sway bar cause handling issues on a non-sport suspension vehicle?
4. Does anyone have the front and rear sway bar thickness numbers on A4/S4/RS4?
5. Lastly, any other sway bar suggestions beside the OEM S4/RS4 that do not compromise the ride quality too much?
   

Great questions !

One question I'd like to add is that in addition to the various OEM rear bar sizes, are they solid or hollow ??

This makes a significant difference when comparing stiffness to other 3rd party products.

[smcgann]

I have the Street Sport CO's and the RS4 sway and the RS4 sway doesn't diminish the ride quality, it almost gets rid of the under steer which in my opinion makes the car safer, as emergency maneuvers will be much more precise.

[INTEGRATION]

Great questions !

One question I'd like to add is that in addition to the various OEM rear bar sizes, are they solid or hollow ??

This makes a significant difference when comparing stiffness to other 3rd party products.

OEM RS4 is solid. Most aftermarket applications are hollow. Even I was skeptical about this...but after inspecting the Hotchkis stabilizers I was thoroughly convinced that they were "solid" enough to not matter if they were hollow. I went into a long discussion on solid vs. hollow bars with SWIFT and Hotchkis representatives at SEMA a few years back and sure enough they've increased the thickness of their bars in conjunction with enlarging the circumference of their bars.

[klem74]

Thank you to all of you, this is exactly what i was looking for.

Integration, thanks for correcting me --> it is an anti-sway bar or stablilizer not a sway bar.

One last question: Can someone comment on how your car's winter/snow handling was impacted after the RS4 stablilizer was installed.

[INTEGRATION]

Integration, thanks for correcting me --> it is an anti-sway bar or stablilizer not a sway bar.

The bar itself acts as a "stabilizer" between the left and right roll movement under load of hard cornering. You can call it anything else: anti-roll bar, anti-sway bar, sway bar, etc. but I prefer to use the original term.

[AudiWxGuy]

My RS4 rear sway is in the mail. I'll let you guys know what I think when I put it on. From what I've heard, it will make a pretty noticeable difference with the CO's.

[klem74]

Where did you order your RS4 sway bar?
Did you get the mounting hardware as well?
Are you doing the install yourself?

thx.

[Raistlin]

My car is a non sport, I added the sport suspension and the RS4 rear sway and left my non sport front sway alone.

I absolutely love the feel of this setup, now unfortunately I had the suspension and the rear sway installed at the same time so no comparisons that way. But I defiinately noticed a difference in turning and cornering, felt sooo much better

I asked my wife if she could tell the difference and she said not really. Nice, huh?

[greene08]

Just installed the RS4 bar in my sport suspension A4. Love the upgrade!

Full writeup here: http://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=225821